Wichita eagle., 1887-06-02
A REALM OF DARKNESS.
A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE IN
STlTUTiON FOR THE BLIND.

4 SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE IN
sTITUTiON FOR THE BLIND.
Marvellous Acuteness Of Hearing Of it,
Inmstes-Proportion of Blind Psrseas
to the Total Population-Instructio
I'm neutrality-suspicious..
When a reporter entered the gate OF the
New York Institution for the Blind the
mellow afternoon sun was warming the green
grass and vines. The ring Of the bell brought
Miss Hatchman to the wicket. She is blind,
but she opened the door as quickly rs person
with eyes could have done, and led the way
to the reception room. While waiting for the
superintendent the reporter found his atten-
ton attracted by little gray haired lady in
black She was gently swaying to and fro in
a low rocking chair. She seemed the per-
sonifcation Of intentness. Every sense was
tense except that of seeing. Alertness Of
hearing was manifest in the poise Of the head,
and TIE attitude of receptivity for every
sound, no matter how faint. She seemed
| wrapped in the silence Of the night, listening
for the break Of day.
The superintendent was announced The
reporter turned to the blind ladies and
thanked them for their courtesy. he I'M
consciously bowed low to their unseeing eyes,
as men nod and gesticulate at the telephone.
Turning to MrsWiliam B. Wait, he looked
with much curiosity into his eyes. They were
the eyes that did the seeing for 500 sightless
human beings. Wonderful eyes they are,
! beaming with kindliness and intelligence,
with merry wrinkles lurking in the corners,
and conveying a remarkable impression OF
depth, as if they were storehouses for others
visions The superintendent said that there
are $50 pupils in the building, and that the
main hall can seat $50
PROPORTION OF BLIND PERSONS.
"What is the proportion of blind persons to
the total populationT
about one in every 1000 for this latitude.
This holds good throughout America and
Europe When you get In Africa, where
there is sand; or in the mining regions, where
accidents abound; or in extreme northern
| latitudes, where the glare from ice and snow
dazzles, the proportion is greater"
"Whom do you receive herer'
ave take children Of 8 and over, and
we give them an education We do not take
grown persons Most of those have obtained
| their education before they became blind.
Two impressions prevail about blind persons.
People will read of the remarkable exploits
of a man like Fawcett, and they will conclude
that all blind persons are wonderfully gifted.
Then they will see some blind persons who
have not been educated, and they will con-
clude that all blind persons are helpless. The
| truth is, blind persons who get their entire
developed into wonderful proficiency, but
| those who have received their education
before they became blind have hard work all
| their life"
"What proportion Of the blind do the insti-
buttons deal withi"
ut is very much smaller than people have
any idea Of The number Of blind persons
under 10 years Of age is only per cent. Of
the whole number; between 10 and 20 years,
ID per cent between 20 and 80, 80 per cent. );
and over so years, 50 per cent, so that the
number Of schoolable blind does not exceed
Is per cent, from which it appears that IS
out of every 100 of the blind get their educa-
| ton and training in schools for the seeing, il
| at all"
@What faculties and senses are most devel-
oped to replace the lost oneF'
Memory and the sense Of hearing. They
have to rely upon them more. Hearing can
be developed SO finely that they can tell
| whether furniture has been taken out Of .
room and replaced with new, and know when
the location Of furniture has been changed.
In walking along sidewalk they can tell
| when they come near post"
people humbug themselves about that. In
very coarse fabrics, like jute, the blind can
| sometimes tell the color by the feel of the tex
ture that is changed by the coloring matter.
But they cannot detect color in glass. People
see them asserting colored beads. 1t is not
| the color but the size that enables them to pus
them in the right boxes
"Do the blind have any idea Of color"
"Where they have been blind from child
hood they have none. What others have Is q
matter of memory. When the optic nerves
are gone everything is as black as tar to
them"
INSTRUCTION IN MUSIC.
Music is the accomplishment that is most
developed and the instruction is very
thorough. Miss Babcock was found asking
| q class Of ten what tho notes were that were
! struck on the piano by one Of the pupils The
answers came promptly and accurately from
the whole class, and they answered whether
they were major or minor, augmented or
diminished, and called off the soprano, tenor
or bass
THAT will do very we'll for harmony" said
Mr.. Wait. "Now suppose We try little dis
| cord. Gus sit down and strike some dis
cords!"
Gus came up smiling, and sitting down
| earnestly tried to strike some discords, as
told, but he was SO full of harmony that he
made them too harmonious AT last he blum
1ered into one, but the echo hadn't time to re-
port before the class had stated what keys had
been struck Alice Mcdonald laughed
merrily. She archly bent her head and shook
out her curls as she seemed to say to herself,
allow absurd! just as il such little one
would puzzle u.s." The two midgets at her
side cheerfully chuckled, while even little
Henry Tschudi fairly snorted at the idea.
Then Mr.. Wait, finding Gus so welded to
harmony, sat down and spreading his hand
over the keys, brought them down with a
discord that would not have discredited
brass band in ht Of jimjams 1t did, for
sooth, puzzle them for . moment Alice
thought little Hugh scratched his head,
and the two oldest members Of the class medi-
tated. But they got it, and all triumphantly
answered. Other discords followed, but the
notes In each we're told accurately and with
out delay This class was a merry one Smiles
fitted across their faces from time to time, as
if their thoughts were joyous and gladstone.
OF the blind educated in institutions thirty
six have become ministers and one is q
magistrate, justice for once, at least, being
blind. There are two blind editors, ana four
times - many publishers Nine arc horse
dealers and one is florist Fifty-nine are
farmers, eleven are physicians, $50 engaged